Drugstore shelves are stuffed with over-the-counter relief for colds and flu, most with ingredients that are miles-long. But you want something that’ll stop you from getting sick at all. LifeScript talked to experts for natural remedies – from acupuncture to zinc – that’ll keep you on your feet…

This year, you vow, you won’t be one of the 200,000 flu sufferers who end up in the hospital. And you’re going to do everything you can to avoid getting a cold. But short of washing your hands every other minute, is there anything natural – a miracle pill to pop? – to help ward off these winter illnesses?

Sure, say the three doctors we interviewed. Here’s their arsensal of natural supplements to prevent colds and flu.

ZincThe first line of defense is zinc. Among other functions, the mineral is critical to making sure our immune systems work well. It’s found in many foods – shellfish, nuts, seeds, milk and cheese – but many of us don’t get enough from our diets.

“The first thing I do for cold and flu prevention is make sure the patient’s nutritional level is good,” says Leo Galland, M.D., an internist and director of the Foundation for Integrated Medicine in New York. “I measure zinc, Vitamins A and D, and iron levels.”

He then recommends appropriate levels of vitamins and zinc supplements. If you get a lot of colds, keep a supply of zinc on hand and take about 25 milligrams a day, he says.

Also take zinc at the first symptom of cold or flu, he says. “I use it for cough and cold, because it’s been shown to shorten [their duration].”

But zinc isn’t the perfect cure-all. Zinc-based nasal sprays have been linked to a loss of the sense of smell. And children shouldn’t take the supplements because they may upset the stomach and irritate the mouth.

Vitamin CWhat about the most well-known purported cold-reliever – vitamin C? Even after years of study, there’s no definitive proof that it prevents illness.

“It might help to shorten the duration of a cold,” Galland says.

Plant SupplementsAstralagus – a Chinese plant whose yellow roots are used medicinally – gets a thumbs-up for increasing resistance to colds and flu from both Galland and Nancy Cotter, M.D., medical director of integrated medicine for Atlantic Health in Morristown, N.J.

And no roundup of natural remedies is complete without a mention of the Big Three: - Ginkgo, which comes from the fan-shaped leaves of an Asian tree named Ginkgo biloba

- Ginseng, an Asian plant whose roots are used medicinally (famously as an aphrodesiac).

- Echinacea, a North American herb with colorful flowers.

Although newer natural remedies have stolen some of the spotlight from these plant-based supplements, they’re still enormously popular.

Use gingko and ginseng to “build up the body,” says Seth Feltheimer, M.D., a general internist and primary care physician at the Columbia University campus of New York Presbyterian Hospital. But echinacea only “works to a degree” to cut down coughing and shorten colds, he says.

ProbioticsEating food is tastier than downing medicinal supplements, so you’ll like Cotter’s Rx for preventing colds and flu: Load up on probiotics, the good bacteria found in your gut that can boost your immune system.

Our bodies don’t always have enough, but it’s easy to add these beneficial microbes to our diets. Bananas and yogurt are rich sources of probiotics, she says.

Trademarked ProductsAirborne recently had to retract some claims on its packaging, but the vitamin-mineral pill has legions of fans. They swear that dissolving it in a beverage and drinking it at the first sign of a cold snuffs out the illness before it takes hold.

In a recent interview, the singer Fergie said she takes Airborne everywhere she goes to keep her immune system strong.

But does it really work?

“I haven’t used it myself, but I don’t have anything against it,” says Cotter. “Theoretically it should work, because it has good things in it.”

Feltheimer is neutral. “It’s such a combination of so many things that you really don’t know what works and what doesn’t,” he says. “Its effect could be psychological.”

Galland recommends Ultimate Defense by Ultimate Life, a remedy made with the extract of peat, to halt cold symptoms. “There have been no clinical studies on it,” he says. “But it’s safe and has been remarkably effective for many of my patients.”

Oscillococcinum (try pronouncing that when you’re feeling groggy), a product made by the French company Boiron, has won Cotter’s respect as a cold and flu deterrent that’s safe for everyone from 6-month-old babies to the elderly.

“I keep it in my purse,” she says. “You take it at the first sign of a cold or flu. It doesn’t interact with other drugs.”

AcupunctureThe practice of acupuncture originated in China, possibly as long ago as 5,000 years. It’s based on the theory that paths called meridians throughout the body conduct the flow of vital energy, or chi. Acupuncturists direct chi by inserting fine needles at certain points of the meridians to relieve pain and illness.

Many conventional doctors are not sure if acupuncture works, but Cotter says it can boost the immune system to help ward illness, and can lessen the symptoms of existing colds and flu. ““It works by increasing the levels of endorphins in the body,” she says “which help with pain control. It increases the level of seratonin, which is a feel-good chemical that relieves stress.”

It also drains sinuses, relieves neck pain and muscle aches, and shortens the duration of a cold, Cotter says.

But many health plans won’t pay for acupuncture, or they reimburse it at such a low rate that practitioners won’t accept it. Check with your insurer before you go under the needle.

Acupuncture, zinc, astragalus and other supplements aside, an effective way to avoid and relieve colds and flu is to eat well and get lots of rest.

What's Your Acupuncture IQ?Complementary and alternative medicine is never intended as a replacement for traditional medicine, but it can offer some significant benefits. So just how much do you know about this growing popular trend? Test your needle know-how with this acupuncture quiz.